cowon iAudio X5

[ng12345]

this seems to be the ipod photo killer (though only in 20g and 30g flavors:

specs are linked below:
iAudio X5 specs from PC Mall

it is lighter than the comparable versions of the ipod photo and it has a 14 hour life

there is also an "L" version with a 35 hour battery that still weighs less than the 60g photo

can play videos

currently pcmall has the 30g for 320 (i dont know about shipping) which is less than the ipod photo

not too many reviews up (DAPreview doesn't have a full review up yet)

dapreview "mini-review":
iaudio x5 review

 

[Zebo]

ipods like intel and McDonalds. No matter how crappy it is it will sell better than any wannabes.

 

[PCHPlayer]

This one seems promising. Supports many lossy formats and FLAC lossless codec, acts like a hard drive , reasonable battery life specs. Sound quality, actual battery life, ease-of-use (both controls and software) will have to wait for more detailed reviews or an Anandtech member to take the plunge.

 

[ng12345]

Yah i may take the plunge and let you guys know ... one of my friends has the non-photo iaudio and he loves it ... it is lighter and thinner than the ipod and it has an lcd remote so you dont have to constantly check your pocket to find out what song is playing or choose a specific song

 

[Gurck]

This player seems to be enjoying a lot more popularity than iriver models. It seems very similar to the iriver players, both feature packed & with a good reputation - what's so different about it that it's gaining more acceptance?

 

[crisscross]

Originally posted by: Gurck
This player seems to be enjoying a lot more popularity than iriver models. It seems very similar to the iriver players, both feature packed & with a good reputation - what's so different about it that it's gaining more acceptance?

Well iriver's firmware has been extremely buggy of late (check out misticriver) plus this player supports ogg, flac and a host of other formats which the iriver does not. The X5 also seems to have a better screen compared the H10 and also plays video! the 5GB H10 is at $278 and the X5 is at $299.

Which one would you go with?

 

[Gurck]

irivers play ogg & videos, I'll have to look into the rest

 

[Deadtrees]

Originally posted by: Zebo
ipods like intel and McDonalds. No matter how crappy it is it will sell better than any wannabes.

In fact, Cowon is one of the first pioneers of mp3 players. It is Apple's ipod which is a wannabe.

 

[Baked]

Wow, FLAC support too. I'm tempted. Maybe I'll sell my Sony D-NE20 Discman and buy this.

 

[Excelsior]

I posted a thread about the X5 in off-topic.

It seems to be an excellent player.

And why not post the prelim review anyway? It provides a good idea of what the x5 is like.

I think I just might get one before fall semester.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Gurck
irivers play ogg & videos, I'll have to look into the rest

So does the X5.

 

[crisscross]

The iriver H10 does not play video neither does it play OGG Vorbis or FLAC.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: crisscross
The iriver H10 does not play video neither does it play OGG Vorbis or FLAC.

Yeah, I'm talking about the h120 & 140s, though they require the Korean firmware to play video and I'm not sure about flac. I'm not arguing between the two or anything, just trying to ascertain why ipod drones lambast iriver so much while seeing this player as a contender when they're so similar.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: Gurck
irivers play ogg & videos, I'll have to look into the rest

So does the X5.

Never said it didn't, I was responding to someone saying irivers didn't. :thumbsup: on the sig

 

[modedepe]

Looks pretty good. I have the M3 from them and it's terrific. Does anyone know if you can use the remote with this player? It looks like it might have the connection on the side like the M3...

 

[crisscross]

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: crisscross
The iriver H10 does not play video neither does it play OGG Vorbis or FLAC.

Yeah, I'm talking about the h120 & 140s, though they require the Korean firmware to play video and I'm not sure about flac. I'm not arguing between the two or anything, just trying to ascertain why ipod drones lambast iriver so much while seeing this player as a contender when they're so similar.

iriver is a fantastic player, it's just that they took a looong time to fix the bugs on the H10 and they were pretty serious bugs by the way for a company to release a product with bugs like that leaves a bad impression.. don't you think?

 

[ng12345]

yah you can use the remote ... i think its an optional accessory with this model since this model does have an lcd screen unlike the M3.

reason i didn't post a link to the review was because the dapreview site wasn't loading for me at the time

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: Gurck
irivers play ogg & videos, I'll have to look into the rest

So does the X5.

Never said it didn't, I was responding to someone saying irivers didn't. :thumbsup: on the sig

Right. What are the "rest" you were referring to? And thanks.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: ng12345
yah you can use the remote ... i think its an optional accessory with this model since this model does have an lcd screen unlike the M3.

reason i didn't post a link to the review was because the dapreview site wasn't loading for me at the time

Ah. And from what everyone has heard, you can use the remote from the M3 with the X5, it is compatible.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: Gurck
irivers play ogg & videos, I'll have to look into the rest

So does the X5.

Never said it didn't, I was responding to someone saying irivers didn't. :thumbsup: on the sig

Right. What are the "rest" you were referring to? And thanks.

flac support, firmware issues, screen, UI and support for other formats not supported by iriver

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: Excelsior

Originally posted by: Gurck
irivers play ogg & videos, I'll have to look into the rest

So does the X5.

Never said it didn't, I was responding to someone saying irivers didn't. :thumbsup: on the sig

Right. What are the "rest" you were referring to? And thanks.

flac support, firmware issues, screen, UI and support for other formats not supported by iriver

Oh ok.

 

[minofifa]

i dont know if i would buy this over the ipod just for its ability to play video (in somebody was planning on it). I dont' know much about video but 15 frames per second sucks pretty bad i think. i would have to see a video clip on it before i took such a plunge.

 

[crisscross]

Cnet has a mini review out here
they have a video too and must say the X5 does look cool.

 

[ng12345]

the 4th gen ipods are very buggy and have a high defect rate ... i actually was unlucky enough to have to get mine replaced twice... my old 2nd gen never had to be replaced and worked like a charm ... but its only a 10g

that's the reason i'm trying to find a replacement

 

[modedepe]

Originally posted by: ng12345
yah you can use the remote ... i think its an optional accessory with this model since this model does have an lcd screen unlike the M3.

reason i didn't post a link to the review was because the dapreview site wasn't loading for me at the time

Nice, maybe I'll have to step up to this.